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Chronic bronchitis is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, that's defined by clinical symptoms like a productive cough for at least 3 weeks per year for at least 2 years. This video discusses the pathophysiology, clinical signs and symptoms, and treatment of chronic bronchitis.
In patients with penicillin allergy, doxycycline or trimethoprim are preferred. [7] More complicated bronchitis may be when the patient is more than 65 years old, has four or more exacerbations per year, has an FEV1/FVC ratio of less than 50% on spirometry, has failed to respond to previous antibiotic treatment, and/or has comorbidity. [7]
Additionally, bronchitis is described as either acute or chronic depending on its presentation and is also further described by the causative agent. Acute bronchitis can be defined as acute bacterial or viral infection of the larger airways in healthy patients with no history of recurrent disease. [ 8 ]
Many patients eventually require oxygen supplementation at home. In severe cases that are difficult to control, chronic treatment with oral corticosteroids may be necessary, although this is fraught with significant side effects. COPD is generally irreversible although lung function can partially recover if the patient stops smoking.
Shortness of breath (SOB), known as dyspnea (in AmE) or dyspnoea (in BrE), is an uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathe well enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as "a subjective experience of breathing discomfort that consists of qualitatively distinct sensations that vary in intensity", and recommends evaluating dyspnea by assessing the intensity of its distinct ...
Stable chronic bronchitis can be defined as the normal definition of chronic bronchitis, plus the absence of an acute exacerbation in the previous four weeks. [45] A Cochrane review found that mucolytics in chronic bronchitis may slightly decrease the chance of developing an exacerbation. [ 63 ]
Childhood chronic illnesses are common among school-aged children in the United States, and these illnesses often require management within school settings for a child to safely attend. [30] At any stage, children with chronic illness can have reduced quality of life , especially if the children or their families are of low socioeconomic status .
Inflammation for example has a recognised group of cardinal signs and symptoms, [44] as does exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, [45] and Parkinson's disease. In contrast to a pathognomonic cardinal sign, the absence of a sign or symptom can often rule out a condition. This is known by the Latin term sine qua non.